How much does it cost a month to keep a horse on your own property(not boarding)??

Depends on the cost of hay….which changes yearly…depending on supply and demand. I’ve paid as little as $75 a ton, and as much as $250 a ton in just the last 5 years. You can count on a horse eating 2.5 tons in the winter….sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less depending on the weather. Including grain, I figure it costs $1000.00 a year per horse (in a good year)….$2000.00 a horse in an expensive year.

Don’t forget the cost of a tank heater….they use quite a bit of electricity if you live in a cold climate.

There of course is the $ cost, but there’s also the cost in time. Time brushing, combing and cleaning out the hooves, cleaning out the turn-out shed that they need for protection from the sun, rain and snow (believe me, that’s where you’ll have to clean the most), breaking the ice if you have no tank heater, defrosting the hose if you forgot to walk it the last time you filled the stock tank, cleaning out the stall, repairing damages to fences and barn before and after the horse arrives, riding it every day to keep it from getting bored and chewing on anything it can get bites out of (that can even be the tank heater if it can be reached)…and all that doesn’t include the time it takes to keep the tack in order.